Quantitative proteome profile of water deficit stress responses in eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) leaves (original) (raw)

Drought stress is a recurring feature of world climate and the single most important factor influencing agricultural yield worldwide. Plants display highly variable, species-specific responses to drought and these responses are multifaceted, requiring physiological and morphological changes influenced by genetic and molecular mechanisms. Moreover, the reproducibility of water deficit studies is very cumbersome, which significantly impedes research on drought tolerance, because how a plant responds is highly influenced by the timing, duration, and intensity of the water deficit. Despite progress in the identification of drought-related mechanisms in many plants, the molecular basis of drought resistance remains to be fully understood in trees, particularly in poplar species because their wide geographic distribution results in varying tolerances to drought. Herein, we aimed to better understand this complex phenomenon in eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) by performing a detailed...